How to win
Sir: It is always fascinating to read the defence of a hurt politician. When Mr Brendan Bruce (17 August) revealed his hand by responding to Noel Malcolm he unwittingly (for a one-time Director of Communications) exposed the reason why the public 'did not buy the argument' and if Mr Bruce's successor should continue to `promulgate' such a negative attitude, he will merely feed the indecisiveness of the electorate. If the Tory party believes that `creating an image of out-foxing the opposi- tion' amounts to a policy, or that 'rehears- ing lines of attack' is somehow going to per- suade the electorate to return them for a further term, there is obviously much think- ing remaining to be done.
Politics is ultimately about positive lead- ership. The electorate simply want to know what the Conservative Party propose to do about Europe. They have witnessed, in the nick of time, the collapse of the collectivists in Socialist countries. They can see, as though it were not clear before, that indi- vidual national identity is a prize above all political ideals.
This simple issue bedevils the prospects of every Party because not one of them has yet dared trust the people with a simple ref- erendum — Do you want to remain a Free Briton? Yes or No?
The politician derides at his peril the wishes of the people who fought two Great Wars that their children should be free and quite naturally they intend to remain free. The first party to acknowledge the strength of feeling against being sucked into a Confederacy of Foreign States will sweep the board at the General Election.
Beverley James Pyke
The Gothic House, Totnes, Devon
Previous page
